Cheap College Travel in the Northeast - Updated

Here's an update on the Bolt Bus for New Jerseyans.  The Bolt Bus now leaves from Newark Penn Station.  If you are taking the Bolt Bus to visit colleges in Boston, there is no longer any need to go into Manhattan to catch the bus.  This should save you both time and money!

Last summer I wrote:

Need a cheap way to visit an out of town college or to get to and from college without a car? Consider the Bolt Bus which serves locations including New York, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

If you book early enough you may qualify for the $1 fare. If you take eight trips you get one free! The bus fare includes wireless internet.

If its slow by car because of inclement weather or holiday traffic, it will also be slow by bus.

Fairleigh Dickinson University, College at Florham, Madison, NJ

Fairleigh Dickinson’s Madison campus has about 2500 students on over 175 acres and offers Bachelors degrees and some combined Bachelors/Masters in liberal arts, business, allied health, and hospitality management. The average class size is between 25 and 30 students. There is a study abroad program on Fairleigh Dickinson’s own campus in Wroxton, England (75 miles outside of London).

The school has over 80% of students living on campus and freshmen are guaranteed housing. Students are involved in Division III athletics, non-residential Greek life, over 40 clubs/organizations, and alternative break programs in the US and abroad. Students can get to NYC easily by taking the train which is close to campus.

The Honors program requires a GPA of 3.0 or higher and over 1100 on the CR and Math sections of the SAT.

As the Regional Center for Colleges with Learning Disabilities, there is an extensive program for 25 –30 students each year on the Madison campus at no extra charge.

The college is need blind with 92% of students receiving an average of $19,700 in aid. Merit scholarships of between $3500 and $24000 are available based on SAT scores. Students can get an Alumni grant of $1000 by getting an alumni, trustee or faculty member to sign; children of alumni get a $1500 grant.
 
 
If you've visited or attended the Madison campus lately, share your observations.

Amherst College, Amherst, MA

Amherst College

Amherst College is a very selective, small Liberal Arts College with no core curriculum or distribution requirements except for the Freshman seminar. This makes it possible to do a double or even triple major. Students at Amherst can take advantage of classes in the five-college consortium that Amherst does not offer.

Students live on campus all four years.  Freshman have their own housing. About half the students travel abroad. This Division III college is a school of student-athletes, with a majority of students in Division III, club or intramural sports. There are no fraternities or sororities. 

While there is no merit-aid at Amherst College, need based aid packages are provided without loans.  The college will pay students to work at an NGO or non-profit over the summer.

If you attended or visited Amherst recently, what are your impressions?

Amherst College

Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts

When we arrived on campus a student, surrounded by a small group of family and friends was ringing the bell. Behind him were others waiting their turn. They were celebrating the completion of their academic work at Hampshire.


There are no letter grades at Hampshire. In their place, teachers provide a written evaluation and critique. Professors serve as teachers, mentors, and collaborators. Students develop their own concentrations, which are self-deigned majors consisting of coursework, independent projects, internships, community service and off-campus study experiences. Each student has a personalized academic program. Students complete a significant research project in their senior year.

The college draws students who are motivated self-starters. If you are looking for a small non-conformist college, perhaps Hampshire fits the bill.  For additional photos, check out the Slosberg College Solutions LLC Facebook page.  If you visited or attended Hampshire College recently, share your experiences.

Landmark College

After spending a day and a half at the “Professional Visit Days for Educators” at Landmark College this month, I feel strongly that Landmark College is a college that changes lives.

Landmark is a unique college in Putney, Vermont that offers an associate degree program to a student body of about 500 students who learn differently and who are likely to struggle in a traditional college setting.  The students (69% male) are average and above average students with learning differences and/or ADHD.

In addition to giving the students an opportunity to earn their Associates degree, Landmark prepares these students to transfer into Bachelor’s degree programs with the:

· Ability to read and write with a high level of independence

· Knowledge of their strengths and challenges in learning

· Ability to ask for services and support

· Ability to keep track of assignments, organize materials, and manage time effectively.

The Landmark staff members have all been trained to teach and work with students with learning differences and/or ADHD. Many of the staff members are graduates of Landmark or have children who attended Landmark.

Landmark also offers summer programs for:

· Rising High School Juniors and Seniors

· College-Bound Seniors (not going to Landmark)

· Visiting College Students.

I have Professional Day Scholarship Referral forms, which will allow up to three of my clients to receive a $75 application fee waiver and priority consideration for financial aid for the Fall 2011 Semester and/or one of the Landmark Summer Programs for the Summer of 2011.

If you have attended or visited Landmark College, share your experiences.

State University of New York - Purchase

State University of New York - Purchase might be especially interesting for you if you are interested in the fine or performing arts. It is one of the few public universities, which is an arts specialty school. There are four theatres on campus, a relatively new Dance Building with 12 dance studios, and the Neuberger Museum.  The movie "Black Swan" was shot here.

Twenty-five percent of students are from outside of New York State.  Politically, the student body is liberal. 35% of the students are vegetarian and the school has a vegetarian eatery, Terra-Ve on campus. There are 70 clubs and Division III Athletic teams. The largest student group on campus is the LGBT group. The Cheese Club is a also very popular group. One of the social highlights of the year is the Zombie Prom. There are no fraternities or sororities at SUNY Purchase.

The school is located in a wealthy, suburban residential area. A short bus ride will take you to White Plains. From White Plains, you can get to Manhattan by train in 45 minutes.

For additional SUNY Purchase photos, check out the Slosberg College Solutions LLC Facebook page.

If you attended or visited SUNY Purchase recently, what were your impressions? 

Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY

Manhattanville is a private co-educational college with 1700 undergrads (64% female) on 100 acres in Purchase, NY. Students come from 76 countries and 48 states. Classes are small and the school is especially known for its management, art, music, psychology and education programs. The school has over 50 clubs, a radio station and 21 NCAA Division III teams. Programs, including an Honors program and a fee-based Learning Disability program, are available. Special opportunities are available because Manhattanville is a non-governmental organization (NGO) of the UN.

The school uses the Portfolio System. Through this system, students working closely with a faculty advisor, talk about educational and post-baccalaureate goals and the curricular path that would best meet those goals. The portfolio reflects a student’s entire college career as both a system of planning and assessment and a repository for their best work.

The campus is well-maintained. Near the center is the castle, a beautiful mansion with marble halls from the 1800s, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The school's mission is:

“To educate students to become ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community. We are committed to doing this by ensuring three things:

· The full intellectual, ethical and social development of each student within a community of engaged scholars and teachers

· The application of students’ development as independent leaders, and creative thinkers, to their career and professional goals; and

· A diverse campus community whose members know, care about and support each other and actively engage the world beyond.”

My guide, a senior from the Dominican Republic, seemed to be living the school mission. He:

· Had participated in 3 internships, one of which had led to a job upon graduation. He praised the campus career services, which provided students assistance in getting internships in Westchester or New York City and getting jobs. Students can take a campus-bus or public bus to White Plains and then can take the train to New York City.

· Volunteered regularly in soup kitchen in Manhattan. He explained that the school values community service with over 30,000 hours of community service taking place over the last year.

· Spent a semester abroad in Germany, exploring many European countries.

· Recounted how one of his professors invited a group of international students for a pre-Thanksgiving feast. Not only does the president live on campus, but there is also on-campus housing for some of the teaching staff.

· Had chosen Manhattanville, in part, for its financial aid. Both need-based aid and merit-based aid are available.

If you visited or attended Manhattanville College, share your experiences.